Last week, we were on our way back to the classroom from the gym. We always make a stop at the water fountain first. One of us “adults” always turns the tap for the fountain, because it shoots about 8 inches high if you just turn it full. Of course, my little Michael was leaning in to have a drink, and I just couldn’t resist! I turned it up and shot him right up the nose! He obviously got pretty ticked, and was wiping his face off in disgust, and he glared at me and said, “Bev…. I’m telling Santa!”

I swear sometimes my inner child just takes over completely!

I’m a big tease at school. I can make the little kids giggle, just by looking at them a certain way. The people I work with say it’s because I have a very expressive face. They also say that I always look like I’m up to something. hmmph! When we’re singing, the kids faces are always stuck on me, watching me move and do the actions. They’re usually smiling as they sing and try to mimic my movements. Nothing makes you feel happier and more fulfilled than being able to bring a smile to the face of a child.

Our little recovering cancer patient was so severely traumatized by her ordeal that she forgot how to walk, talk, eat, and also lost a great deal of her hearing. She is in remission though, so that is the main thing. I started building a relationship with her last year, once she got out of hospital, because I worked with her little autistic brother, and she would come along to pick him up. I started just by saying hello, and smiling at her. Then I started kind of teasing her, and acting like I was going to “get her”. Finally I got a little smile! By early June, she had started slowly walking again, and I would fuss over her, and she would smile. Near the end of June, she attended a few days of classes in preparation for this year. She stuck to me like glue, but didn’t fuss when her Mom left, which was major! We went out to the playground and I put her on the slide, and she would giggle and giggle. She had so much fun! Now 6 months later, I have finally got her to run, to hop, to walk sideways, and to do a jump shot when we play basketball. She’s learning to talk, she’s got hearing aids now, she’s making friends with the other kids finally, and rather than just talking out loud to me, she will answer the other adults now too. Now the minute she sees me, her face breaks out in a great big grin, and I’ll say hi, in my goofy voice I reserve just for her and she just squeals and giggles. It’s been so wonderful to be a small part in her recovery!

I may not make much of an income, but the rewards are known only to someone who’s worked with these kids.

We had a crazy all-night wind storm here last night which kept us awake most of the night. So, that makes 2 sleepless nights right before I went back to work. Ugghhh! It was fun to see the little kids and to to get back into a routine, even though I was dog-ass tired!
We also are supposed to be getting the worst BLIZZARD we’ve had in 17 years!!! (and I’ve seen a few!) I’m just so looking forward to that, and the next 2 weeks of deep-freeze temperatures.
In happier news, Sarah ordered her bridesmaid dresses today, and tomorrow, she, and Kerri (her maid of honor) and myself are going to go out gown shopping for Sarah! It should be SO much fun! Woot!

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It’s been pretty sad at work this week. Our afternoon teacher lost her baby on the weekend. She’s devestated! About 4 times throughout her brief pregnancy, she had nightmares about losing the baby and woke up sobbing. She’s been so over-emotional (hormonal I would imagine), that I really have been worried about her! We haven’t talked to her yet of course. Yesterday when the kids heard she was home sick, one of the little girls said, “That’s because she has a baby in her tummy.” She sad it again today, so I went to the speech path, and asked her to talk to her, and see if she could come up with something that would keep her from saying that anymore.
On a lighter note, today we were singing a song, and as you know most of our kids have speech troubles, and the one little girl is singing, “I’m glad I’m me, and I’m walking to the hore, walking to the hore for my father.
My next practical joke is going to be on our only male staff member, who is of course the gym teacher. He has our little guys in the morning for gym everyday, and I’m always bugging him about having “soggy balls” because he doesn’t keep the little balls that our kids like to play with pumped up. He’s VERY anal, and has all the shelves in the storage room labelled as to which balls go where. Soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, etc. I’m going to add a label that says, SOGGY BALLS. heh

Our first week with the kids is finished, and we all made it through relatively unscathed. Our kids are already coming down with the “back to school” cold. Never fails. We had one little guy coughing so bad, that he was nearly choking, so we called his parents to come and pick him up. Turns out they’d had him to the doctor the day before, and he has a throat infection, and an ear infection to go with this cough, but the doctor thought he’d be fine to go to school.PUTZ!

Ben started his Radio editing course the other night, and he’s super pumped about it. Only time will tell how serious he is about it. Sounds like Sarah’s course is going well too. She’s already scrubbed in for a few surgeries, so sh’e really enjoying this latest challenge.

I’m off to work now, and am very glad this week is done! It’s near snowing outside, so it’s frosty and COLD and wet here!! I feel a Starbucks is in my future!

Wow! It’s been hot here!! Great weather for harvest, but not so much for going to school with no A/C! There were kids at school for just 2 hours yesterday morning, and today the general population gets back in full swing.

Our kids start next Monday. E’s Mom wasn’t sure if he started yesterday, or next week, so they came to find out. He had his brand new back pack all packed and ready for school. He had packed his new shoes, and extra set of clothes, his scissors, and ruler, a chocolate, and the picture of him and I in our Oiler jerseys. Awwww

He had so much to tell me (still can’t understand more than 3 words he says), and finally hopped up on my lap and cuddled up and gave me a big hug and a kiss. THIS people, is the reason I put up with tantrums and diapers! *s*

I talked privately to each of the different teachers that I work for, and asked them outright if they wanted me to work in their classes again next year. They both emphatically answered yes. (to my relief) The object of my scorn and malice, who wasn’t there today, had told the afternoon teacher that I was feeling, “overwhelmed”… LMAO… I’m “overwhelmed” about 3 times a year! hehehe…. She mistook “pissed off as hell” for “overwhelmed” I guess! When I told the 2 teachers what had gone on yesterday, they were both VERY annoyed to say the least. Anyways, with the “absence of “her”, it was a very good day!

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Originally uploaded by Bev In Hormoney.

How many of you can say you spent the day getting paid to paint pre-schoolers feet?? Hmmmm I thought NOT!

We were making a Father’s Day gift. I painted each of their feet, and put 2 footprints on a piece of paper. Then between the two footprints, I typed this poem:

Walk A Little Slower Daddy
“Walk a Little slower, Daddy.” said a little child so small.
I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up, You’re what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!!

This picture amuses me greatly because Conner was scared to bits to take off his socks at the beginning of the year, and today when I told him to take off his shoes and socks, he did so, right away, and as you can see, he had a ball! LOL

There is a little girl in our afternoon class. She’s 3, she’s a cute as a button, and has gone from being a child of 3 words, to a little chatter box! Of course since her speech is still really new, she still has a lot of words that she gets mixed up with, and it’s so cute! For instance, this little one eats like a bottomless pit, and LOVES to eat, so when we’re picking jobs at the beginning of class, if she gets a turn, she always wants to be SMACK Helper! Cracks my ass up every time! Then when it’s snack time, and we’re singing the snack song, “Time for SMACK now, Time for SMACK now, munch, munch, munch!” See how easily I’m amused!

Kite Flying

This morning we took the kids out kite flying. (or attempted to) We had a certain amount of difficulty in doing so! This picture shows about the best of many attempts we had. After we’d finally get the suckers air bound, then, they’d come dive bombing right at us! We’re fairly certain they were possessed. We’re the only group we’ve heard of that were seriously considering the wearing of helmets when flying kites!